It also hosts one of the largest oil refineries in the country, three natural gas power plants, and several other major industries.

According to local tradition, it was ruled by a legendary figure named Gat Pulintan, who refused to be Christianized and settled to the hills to take refuge and continue resistance against Spanish occupation.

Finally, in 1581, Spanish authorities governing the Philippines created a pueblo in the area which included the hill (now Hilltop) where the present Provincial Capitol of Batangas stands after the formal end of Kumintang.

The town was named "Batangan" because huge logs, locally called "batang", abounded in the place.

By 1870, its barangays were Balagtas, Bilogo, Bolbok, Bukal, Catandala, Konde, De La Paz, Kumintang Ibaba, Matuko, Mapagong, Paharang Kanluran, Pairang, Pinamucan, Patulo, Sampaga, San Agapito, San Isidro and Talahib.

On October 14, 1943, municipal councilor Roman L. Perez was appointed Mayor by the Japanese after the inauguration of the Second Republic of the Philippines.

By the end of April the same that year, some elements of the 188th Glider Infantry Regiment of the 11th Airborne Division was left to clear the barangays east and mountains south of the city as the main Allied Force continued their drive towards the Quezon Province.

She then inspected the P1.5-billion Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), Stage II-Phase 1 connecting Lipa (19.74 kilometers and Batangas and the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) road widening, expansion and the STAR toll way development projects in Batangas.

However, despite its gradual shift in becoming a major commercial/industrial hub for Calabarzon, it still shares rural landscapes that is still preserved in the north part of the city.

Being a major port city, Batangas has seen an increase in migrants from nearby provinces, islands, and even nation states such as China, India, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Residents in rural areas practice subsidence farming, with some of their harvest sold to the lowland public wet markets.

JG Summit Holdings operates a petrochemical facility in Pinamucan Ibaba, with expansions to accommodate a coal power plant, which raised controversy to locals and environmentalists.

The Diversion Road, constructed to divert traffic going to Batangas Port and Bauan from the city proper, is seeing a rise in retail stores in addition to industrial space.

Fast food restaurants, like McDonald's and Shakey's Pizza are also rising near the Batangas City Grand Terminal.

Business Park is a 4.26-hectare Philippine Economic Zone Authority-certified commercial township in Batangas City.

Its PonteFino Hotel is located along Governor Antonio Carpio Road, Pastor Village, Gulod Labac.

The art of making the dish is indigenous to the area and has been cited as having a great potential for inclusion in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

In the early 2000s, a diversion road is built to provide travellers a bypass to the existing highway through the urban centers.

Streets in the area are mostly named from historical figures, such as Apolinario Mabini, Diego Silang, Juan B. Alegre, the Gomburza (Mariano Gomez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora) and the ilustrados (José Rizal, Marcelo del Pilar, and Graciano López Jaena).

Batangas City, then a town, was served by a branch line of the Philippine National Railways until its closure.

As part of President Rodrigo Duterte's infrastructure development program, DuterteNomics or "Build-Build-Build", a railway line from Calamba will be constructed to connect with the city.

Some barangays in the eastern rural area near the boundary with Taysan are served by the Batangas II Electric Cooperative (BATELEC-II).

The city is also locations of two major power plants that supply power to the Luzon grid: Among the higher education institutions in the city is the Batangas State University, Lyceum of the Philippines University–Batangas, University of Batangas, St. Bridget College and STI College.

Batangas City has local newspapers like the English-language Sun.Star People's Courier and the Tagalog-language Balikas.

Newspapers marketed in Metro Manila, such as the major broadsheets Philippine Star, Philippine Daily Inquirer, and Manila Bulletin, and tabloids like Abante, Balita, People's Journal, Pilipino Mirror, and Pilipino Star Ngayon, are also sold in the city through local distributors.

Batangas State University hosts a college radio station, 107.3 BatStateU FM (DWPB-FM).